I've gotten away from cooking quite a bit this month, so trying to get back to it better this week. Here are my menus for the week.

Sunday:
Teriyaki Flank Steak
Onions and Peppers
Salad

Monday:
Barbecue Chicken Wings
Baked potatoes
Green Beans

Tuesday:
Fried Rabbit
Canned corn
Kohlrabi

Wednesday:
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Cole slaw

Thursday:
Meatball Sandwiches
Cole slaw

Friday:
Beef Chuck Pot Roast
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Broccoli

Saturday:
Tacos

Monday:
Leftovers
--roast beef
--ham
--stir-fry
--green beans
Baked potatoes

Tuesday:
Homemade pizza with onions, bell pepper strips, rabbit sausage, and pepperoni
Cole slaw

Wednesday:
Pork chops
Fried potatoes
Green beans
Applesauce

Thursday:
Bacon roasted rabbit
Baked potatoes
Green Beans
Canned peaches

Friday:
Baked potato soup
Drop biscuits with choice of homemade jams
Cole slaw
Apples

Saturday:
1/4 pound uncured hot dogs on homemade buns
Homemade French fries
Cole slaw

Sunday:
Beef stew
Green beans
Canned pineapple

I can't believe that my youngest son turned 14 years old today.



He is 5 foot 10, starting to get a mustache, and his voice has more or less settled. He has shown some real maturity in the last six months. It amazes me when I think where he was just last summer, short, chubby, cracking voice, no body hair. Now he is tall, slender, steady, needing to learn how to shave pretty soon, and a nice baritone.

For his present he got a WiiU. We made him pay the first $210 out of his savings, though, and covered the remaining $100 plus the rest of the tax. He has been saving most of his allowance for half a year, most of his can money (he collects aluminum cans around the neighborhood from people who save them for him and takes them to the recycling center for cash), and even part of his rabbit money (he generally gets 33% of rabbit sales unless I need it for feed money).

He spent almost nothing on anything else during those six months. I am proud of how hard he worked to save the money. He is getting a really good work ethic. He still wants to start an egg business when we move, too.

We have been throwing around getting ducklings this year, but I'm not sure if we are going to. We got mom to okay it, but then at the last minute she said, "But I don't want any of those upright ducks." Well, that is what I wanted to get, Indian runner ducks. I'm not going to buy the ducks, pay for the feed, build a house for them, and then not get the good laying ducks that I wanted just because she thinks they look stupid. I'd rather not get them at all and wait until we move so I can get what I want. If I'm paying for them, I should get to choose.

Sometimes I really do not understand how my mother's brain works. But whatever. It's her property. Basically she wants ducks and wants the ones she wants, but doesn't want to take care of them or pay for them. I wish our house would sell. I am so tired of her random edicts. We pay enough to live here, but whatever. I love my mother, but man, she is the one person on this planet who can drive me right up a wall.

I'm participating in a pantry challenge right now on my other blog. Everything I make for the rest of this month (except milk) is to either come from our pantry/freezer stores or from what we grow or raise on the homestead. I'm not buying anything but milk and that is from a local farm. It's been interesting to figure out what my meals will be.

To be honest it is not all that different from my usual way of living, just without any eating out. But I can't just go to the store if I want something. I need to make do with what I have on hand. If I run out of onions or potatoes I can't just go pick up more, I have to break into my dehydrated ones. If I run out of bread I can't just pick up a loaf, I have to bake it. If I run out of garlic I have to use powdered.

If I am craving fresh greens, I need to make do with the herbs growing on my kitchen windowsill and try to jolly my lettuce starts into growing a little faster. I do have 3 cabbages and 10 pounds of carrots stored, so it's not like I won't have anything fresh veggie like. I do have some frozen veggies, too. But it does limit my choices a bit and make me stick to my inventory. But we've been needing to eat down the freezer for a while now, so it works.

Friday:
Homemade pizza with pepperoni, rabbit sausage, onions, and bell pepper strips
Salad

Saturday:
Baked Chicken
Baked potatoes
Green Beans
Bananas

Sunday:
Beef pot roast slow cooked in the crockpot
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Broccoli/Cauliflower
Watermelon

Monday:
Southern Fried Rabbit
Fried potatoes
Cole slaw
Oranges

Tuesday:
Rabbit stir-fry with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, ginger, garlic, bean sprouts
Apples

Wednesday:
Homemade baked potato soup
Toasted ham and cheese sandwiches on homemade bread
Cole slaw
Apples

Thursday:
Rabbit bacon cheeseburgers on homemade buns
Homemade French fries
Cole slaw
Oranges

Every 2 to 3 months we go to Costco and do a big grocery shop. The only meat there we buy is chicken now that they have organic boneless skinless thighs and organic bone-in legs in family size portions. Today was that shopping trip. We pick and choose from items to get the good deals and ignore the bad ones.

Periodically I like to record what I buy and the prices and compare it year to year. I had a rebate coupon for $12.46 so I got that discount. Anyway this is that post.

2 cases of Charmin @ $20.99 per
2 pounds of sea salt @ $2.79
3 4 packs of butter (12 pounds) @ $8.99 per
3 quarts of organic coconut oil @ $22.99
Kitchen garbage bags @ $14.99
Family size 3 pack of Q-tips @ $8.99
2 half gallons of organic e.v. olive oil @ $14.99 per
Disposable razors @ $19.99
10 pounds of Krusteaz pancake mix @ $6.39
20 pounds of organic unbleached flour @ $12.49
2 10 pound bags of organic carrots @ $5.79
14 pack of pink lady organic apples @ $9.79
1 case of oranges @ $11.99
3 pack organic chicken drumsticks $12.42
3 pack organic boneless skinless chicken thighs $16.04

I've only got 2 things that I am brand loyal on anymore and that is Q-tips and Charmin toilet paper. All the other ear swabs bend when you use them. And Charmin is the only TP that does not cause an allergic reaction for my son and I. Otherwise, I don't care about brands at all.

The Krusteaz pancake mix is not strictly necessary, I could make them from scratch, but I also use it to make biscuits, which I could also make from scratch. However, I do like a few things in life to be a bit easier in the kitchen, DS eats pancakes almost every day, and Krusteaz is a brand that doesn't have ingredients that make my son sick, so we go with that.

The garbage bags and Q-tips should last for a year. The rest of the staples should last about 3 months, except the fruit which will get eaten in about a month to six weeks and I'll supplement it with what I have canned of fresh from the food co-op.

We also spent $22.49 on gas since it was $3.15 a gallon.

Oh, and the reason you don't see any sugar on that list is that I am still going through a 50 pound bag leftover from canning jam the summer of 2012. We don't eat a lot of it.

If it seems like a lot of rabbit meat for dinner this week it is. We've butchered a total of 14 in the last 2 weeks and the freezer is full and I'm going to can some, but we're also eating a couple this week. We didn't have time to grind any before DH heads back to Alaska tonight or we'd be able to fit that around the rest in the freezer. Fortunately we all love rabbit as long as we can eat it several different ways and not all one way day after day.

Tuesday:
Rabbit quesadillas
Salad
Apples

Wednesday:
Fried rabbit
Baked potatoes
Green beans
Oranges

Thursday:
Rabbit Noodle Soup
Toasted gouda and apple sandwiches on homemade bread
Green beans

Friday:
Rabbit stir-fry with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onion and garlic
Brown rice

Saturday:
Bacon rabbit burgers
Homemade steak fries
Salad

Sunday:
Beef pot roast
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Green beans
Oranges

I really budgeted close to the penny this week, so we really, really need to stick to our meal plan. No eating out this week. At all. Besides eating out makes me sick anymore, like as not.

Saturday:
Baked Chicken
Fried Potatoes
Cauliflower/Broccoli
Canned Pineapple

Sunday:
Beef Chuck pot roast
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Green Beans
Oranges

Monday:
Fried Rabbit
Baked potatoes
Coleslaw
Bananas

Tuesday:
Pork chops
Homemade Applesauce
Fried potatoes
Raw carrots

Wednesday:
Ground rabbit bacon burgers
French fries
Salad
Oranges

Thursday:
Meatloaf
Canned corn
Home canned green beans
Canned peaches

Friday:
Chicken Fajitas (chicken, peppers, onions)
Mexican Rice (home canned tomatoes, rice, spices)

I haven't done this in a few weeks, but so many folks have posted theirs, I figured I'd better get on the bandwagon again. I'm trying to swing back towards only eating high carbs once a day and low carb for breakfasts and lunches. I know I usually only post suppers, but I'm going to do the whole thing for this week at least so I don't have to think about it, I can just consult my list.

Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, rabbit sausage, cucumber slices

Lunch: Salad of lettuce, cheese, hard boiled egg, shredded rabbit meat

Dinner: Rabbit noodle soup (carrots, potatoes, celery, noodles, rabbit meat), coleslaw, oranges

Monday
Breakfast: 2 egg omelet (bell peppers, onions, bacon)

Lunch: Boneless skinless chicken thighs, grilled, green beans

Dinner: Lasagna, coleslaw, bananas

Tuesday
Breakfast: Ham and green beans

Lunch: Poached cod fish, coleslaw

Dinner: Pork chops, fried potatoes, broccoli/cauliflower, apple sauce

Wednesday
Breakfast: 2 soft-boiled eggs and baked daikon circles sprinkled with parmesan cheese

Lunch:
Turkey and leftover broccoli/cauliflower

Dinner: Fried rabbit, baked potatoes, green beans, oranges

Thursday
Breakfast: Hard boiled eggs, sliced cucumbers with cheese slices

Lunch: Baked salmon, green beans

Dinner: Baked potato soup, coleslaw, pineapple

Friday
Breakfast: 2 egg omelet (leftover salmon and cheese) and cucumber slices

Lunch: Chef salad (lettuce, ham, turkey, cheese)

Dinner: Homemade pizza (rabbit sausage, pepperoni, bell pepper strips, onions, cheese), green salad

Saturday:
Breakfast: Eggs scrambled with onion, bell peppers, sausage, and cheese

Lunch: Taco salad

Dinner: Spaghetti and Meatballs (half ground rabbit, half ground pork, garlic and 3 cheeses), coleslaw

Yesterday DH and I put 6.75 pounds of rabbit meat through our new electric meat grinder.



It worked great and the results were very nice. It looks sort of like ground pork, but not as fatty. DH cooked up some of it for cheeseburgers for dinner last night using his new 17 inch cast iron pan (which I can't even lift by myself). It was fantastic. I never dreamed rabbit burger would be so good. I guess I should have because it is great every other way we've tried it. So we now have a ground beef substitute. Although we will continue to use beef on occasion the organic, sustainably raised stuff has gotten to be $7 a pound.

We've got four more that need to be cut up. I am planning three of them for mostly grinding to burger and one to do up for stir-fry meat. We'll be boiling the bones for stock and canning up some soup with the meat that falls off the bones and the resulting broth.

We also have 8 more that have hit the 5 pound mark that need to be taken care of. We will probably do them this weekend, since it is supposed to be clear.

I've been learning to cook on cast iron. We pulled the 3 pans we were given as a wedding present out of storage and have seasoned them and started using them. We've had one pan too many flake their Teflon off. Even the nicer pans are looking worse for wear, except for the stainless steel ones. The cast iron is working great. It is truly non-stick. I love using it. I just wish it weren't so heavy. I need to eventually get a 12 inch skillet. I am already planning on getting the Dutch oven for my upcoming birthday in February. Maybe I'll get both.

I need to start posting my menu plans again. We have actually done very well. We've only gotten take out once as a family since DH came home on the 19th. DH and I did get Subway one day while we were picking up feed and didn't have the kids with us. Ouch. For the two of us it was just under $25. Although my sandwich gave me two meals, I did not realize they had gotten so pricey.

I can't eat the cheap stuff anymore though. The last time I had McD's I got sick. The last time I had Arby's (with a coupon) I got sick. I think it is because my diet is normally so free of high fructose corn syrup, which they both use in their buns, that I can't tolerate it anymore. In a way it's good I guess, because I'm not spending so much money on that kind of food and am more willing to cook at home. I have better uses for the money, too.

So it's time to get back to meal planning again. I have been sick and lazy about cooking and relying on some convenience foods. During the holidays this year I need to make up some homemade convenience foods. I'd like to have pre-made enchiladas, lasagna, turkey TV dinners with stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy where I only need to open a can of green beans or add a salad to make it complete. I want some pre-made meatloaves and meatballs. I want to make up a bunch of Korean mandoo dumplings and some homemade French fries for the freezer.

I'd like to have some pre-made freezer kits for making quick stir-fries and for dumping into the crockpot. I need to get some potatoes canned. I need to make more meal plans that follow on from each other, like baked potatoes one night and baked potato soup the next, or spaghetti and meatballs one night and meatball sandwiches the next. I need to be thinking about double and triple batch cooking where I make one for now and one or two for the future.

I just need to make it easier to cook at home than to go get take out food. We are wasting too much money on take out. Anyway, I've made up a plan for the rest of the week, and I will start working on a plan for next week.

Tonight (Tuesday):

Homemade pizza with pepperoni, ham, onions, bell pepper strips.
Salad

Wednesday:
Spaghetti
Meatballs (made with pork and hamburger, garlic, and various cheeses I have on hand) (triple batch, 1 for the night, 1 for the next day, and one for the freezer)
Cole slaw

Thursday:
Meatball sandwiches made on homemade garlic bread
Green beans
Oranges

Friday:
Fried Rabbit
Baked potatoes (triple batch)
Broccoli/cauliflower
Canned peaches

Saturday:
Baked potato soup
Leftover broccoli/cauliflower
Leftover rabbit meat
Fresh baked bread
Canned pears

Sunday:
Chile Verde (double batch, one for freezer)
Fried potatoes made with leftover baked
Fresh baked bread
Canned pineapple

Next week is still a bit up in the air. I'm not sure yet what day we are celebrating with the in-laws. It was supposed to be the 21st, but someone's work interfered so now we are waiting to find out about the 27th or the 28th to see if my SIL can get her daughters on those nights. They are supposed to be with ex-BIL those days and he may not want to give up his time.

I will likely make a couple of lasagnas, one for whatever day we celebrate on. I do have another week's menu plan made up that I can slot into place once I know what is going on.

Back when we had television service, I used to be addicted to watching cooking shows. I could sit on the couch and lose five hours and all I'd have to show for it is a knit hat or scarf or a few baskets of folded laundry.

I broke that addiction when we got rid of cable and didn't really even think about if for a years. Recently I have discovered little cooking shows on youtube. Fortunately the addictive quality of letting the afternoon disappear is long gone. And when you only have a ten or 15 minute snippet with no commercials you can fit them in just about anywhere. I watch them when doing the bills or trying to hit the daily goal on Swagbucks or folding laundry.

Recently I've come across two that have given me some great recipe ideas and are pretty money-saving. Sicily's post about her crockpot cookbook brought the one to my mind.

The first one is Linda's Pantry and what I really like about it is she does a lot of make ahead freezer crockpot meals. This is where you get all of the main stuff done when you have time, like chopping the meat and browning it, chopping the vegetables, measuring out your spices, adding any stock or sauces. She uses two gallon size baggies, one inside the other, and uses her canning funnel to fill the inner bag, then puts a card with instructions on it between the inside bag and the outside bag. The outside bag is reusable. Then she puts it in the freezer. Often it is for her husband to make when she is away, all he has to do is follow the instructions, dump stuff in the crockpot, and have an easy home cooked meal.

So I am making up lists of the recipes I think we will eat from her videos, but substituting with regular spices. She sells some stuff that she uses and promotes it in each vid, but it's a soft sell. I just ignore that part since we have to be very careful with our spices, herbs, and mixtures due to DS's allergies and my own. They have to be completely clean. Anyway, I am very much enjoying those and think I will save both time and money by making some of these meals up when I feel good to have on hand when I don't.

The other one I have been watching is Our Half Acre Homestead. They do a lot of things with meat and produce they grow themselves. It's more down home and rustic than the other one, but I love it for that quality. She makes simple, easy meals with their home butchered pork, goat, and chickens. She explains things in very simple terms so that even beginner cooks can get the hang of it. And best of all she gives me ideas on what I can do with my own home raised meats. Anything that makes my life easier is welcome.

Monday:
Spaghetti with homemade sauce
Homemade meatballs (pork/beef)
Cole slaw

Tuesday:
Meatball sandwiches
Canned peaches
Green beans

Wednesday:
Homemade beef stew (carrots, potatoes, green beans)
Homemade fresh bread
Leftover Cole slaw
Oranges

Thursday:
Fried Rabbit
Fried potatoes
Broccoli/cauliflower
Canned pineapple

Friday:
Homemade pizza with homemade sausage, onions, and bell pepper strips
Leftover Cole slaw

Saturday:
Pork chops
Fried potatoes
Leftover broccoli/cauliflower
Homemade apple sauce

Sunday:
Tacos
Bananas

I am glad I didn't get around to making the baked potato soup last night. I was definitely in need of comfort food tonight. And it turned out beautifully:



I had to make the roux twice, though. The first time I wasn't paying attention and didn't even look at the flour DD had brought up, just dumped it in. Well, there was a dead miller moth in it. Fortunately that was the end of a bag of flour. Unfortunately, I ,had to throw out 2/3 of a cup of butter. Ouch. With butter so expensive these days, losing over a stick of it does not feel good.

How is it possible to have such a long day on such a short day? Well, I suppose having to deal with DD's evil teacher is probably why it felt so long. I totally see what DD means. The woman is a master manipulator and it was one of the first things I called her on. Let's just say woman got schooled, hard. And we got the assignments that DD should have got in the first place.

I have to say the counselor and person from admin were top rate. Neither could understand why DD hadn't been given her assignments in the first place. Teacher really was falling all over herself. The VP wasn't there. No reason given, she was supposed to be. Oh, well. Evil teacher is now on notice that her crap won't fly with us. I do wish DH could have been there. I think his physical stature alone would have cowed her even if he is the kindest, most gentle soul, but I managed all on my own at my little 5 foot 5 inches to put her in her place. It did take a lot out of me though.

Today was a no spend day, but tomorrow won't be. I really should go to the store tonight, but I am just too tired. I know I will regret not having caffeine in the morning, but I will stop at the store after taking DD to school.

I am getting really bad about posting my menu plans. I am still cooking meals, I just keep forgetting to post them ahead of time. I find it helpful when I do, and it helps me stick to my budget, it's just been super crazy around here lately. I got 8 quarts of rabbit stock canned today and made 2 quarts of rabbit vegetable noodle soup for dinner. It was so good. It blows chicken soup right out of the water. And see how good it looks:



Continuing on the soup theme:

Tuesday:
Baked potato soup
Homemade bread
Oranges

Wednesday:
Beef stew (beef, carrots, potatoes, green beans, gravy)
Pears

Thursday:
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Homemade garlic bread
Cole slaw

Friday:
Homemade pizza (sausage, onions, bell peppers)
Oranges


Saturday:
Roasted chicken
Baked potatoes
Broccoli/cauliflower
Drop biscuits with choice of homemade jams

Sunday:
Chicken quesadillas
Chips and homemade salsa
Salad

I keep forgetting to post my menu planning. I'll just start from today and go through Sunday. I'm trying to keep to in season foods as much as possible on the fruits and veggies.

Wednesday:
Baked potato soup
Leftover pot roast
Apples

Thursday:
Fried rabbit
Mashed potatoes
Green beans
Pears

Friday:
Rabbit vegetable and noodle soup
Toasted ham and cheese sandwiches
Apples

Saturday:
Homemade pizza
Cole slaw

Sunday:
Roasted Chicken
Baked potatoes
Broccoli/cauliflower
Oranges

Monday:
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Cole slaw
Bananas

Tuesday:
Meatball sandwiches on homemade bread
Cole slaw
Apples

Wednesday:
Chili
Baked potatoes
Green beans
Bananas

Thursday:
Baked potato soup
Toasted ham and cheese sandwiches on homemade bread
Bananas
Green beans

Friday:
Homemade pizza with ham, sausage, onions, and bell pepper strips
Cole slaw
Apples

Saturday:
Roast chicken
Fried Potatoes
Broccoli/cauliflower
Applesauce

Sunday:
Beef chuck pot roast
Green beans
Drop biscuits with choice of homemade jams
Mashed potatoes and gravy

Monday--
Chicken Noodle Soup
Toasted turkey and provolone sandwiches on rosemary bread
Apples

Tuesday--
Chicken and veggie stir-fry
Apples

Wednesday--
Home canned rabbit
Microwave baked potatoes
Green beans
Canned peaches

Thursday--
Baked potato soup
Cole slaw
Bananas

Friday--
Tacos
Oranges

Saturday--
Homemade pizza with ham, onion, bell pepper strips and pepperoni
Cole slaw

Sunday--
Beef pot roast
Roasted potatoes and carrots
Green beans
Apples

Monday--
Belgian Waffles with strawberries
Bacon and eggs
Salad

Tuesday--
Fried rabbit
Baked potatoes
Broccoli/cauliflower

Wednesday--
Baked potato soup (bacon is the protein)
Fresh baked bread
Red cabbage and spinach salad

Thursday--
Pulled pork in choice of buns or tortillas
Applesauce
Coleslaw

Friday--
Homemade pizza with pepperoni, homemade sausage, onions, and bell pepper strips
Broccoli/cauliflower

Saturday--
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Coleslaw
Canned pears

Sunday--
Beef chuck roast
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Green beans
Drop biscuits with choice of jams

Monday--
Pork Chops
Fried Potatoes
Green Beans

Tuesday--
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Garlic Bread
Salad

Wednesday--
Chicken Stir-fry
Pears

Thursday--
Fried Rabbit
Baked Potatoes
Green Beans

Friday--
Baked Potato Soup
Coleslaw

Saturday--
Leftovers

Sunday--
Beef Chuck Pot Roast
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Green Beans
Drop biscuits with choice of homemade jams

Are they ever going to fix the posting problem here? You should be able to spend more than 3 minutes typing a post without it disappearing into the ether the moment you post it. It feels like it's been going on for over a year now. Frustrating. /rant

I know I am usually good at making everything from scratch, but today I was just exhausted. I think I'm on the cusp of a cold. I really, really wanted to get Round Table Pizza, but I managed to resist. I did have to go to the store to get milk and produce and while there I noticed they had some cheap cheese pizzas on sale with a sell by date of today. This is the type the store makes in-house, not the kind in the freezer section.

So I bought a couple of cheap cheese pizzas and then once home I doctored them up with pepperoni, onions, and bell pepper strips. It's not RT and it's not homemade, but spending six bucks on the pizzas and adding toppings I already had at home gave me an easy pizza that I didn't have to put much time or effort into. With the toppings I used I probably spent a grand total of $8. And one of those pizzas I put in the freezer for another day. So $4 spent for dinner for 3 of us. Not too shabby.

Because I am feeling under the weather or like I am about to be, I am planning a mostly crockpot and soup pot week. I figure if I have easy crockpot dinners planned, I won't be tempted to do takeout.

Monday:
Crockpot Chicken stew (boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into one inch pieces, carrots cut into one inch pieces, potatoes, cut into one inch pieces, green beans snapped into one inch pieces, a can of corn, one pint of rabbit stock, and I will mix in some leftover rabbit gravy at the end to thicken it)
Salad

Tuesday:
Crockpot Beef pot roast
Microwave Baked potatoes
Nectarines
Coleslaw

Wednesday:
Baked potato soup
Coleslaw
Italian prunes

Thursday:
Leftovers

Friday:
Crockpot chicken (whole)
Microwave baked potatoes
Green beans

Saturday:
Chicken and noodles
Salad
Nectarines

Sunday:
Tacos
Pears

I know I am usually good at making everything from scratch, but today I was just exhausted. I think I'm on the cusp of a cold. I really, really wanted to get Round Table Pizza, but I managed to resist. I did have to go to the store to get milk and produce and while there I noticed they had some cheap cheese pizzas on sale with a sell by date of today. This is the type the store makes in-house, not the kind in the freezer section.

So I bought a couple of cheap cheese pizzas and then once home I doctored them up with pepperoni, onions, and bell pepper strips. It's not RT and it's not homemade, but spending six bucks on the pizzas and adding toppings I already had at home gave me an easy pizza that I didn't have to put much time or effort into. With the toppings I used I probably spent a grand total of $8. And one of those pizzas I put in the freezer for another day. So $4 spent for dinner for 3 of us. Not too shabby.

Because I am feeling under the weather or like I am about to be, I am planning a mostly crockpot and soup pot week. I figure if I have easy crockpot dinners planned, I won't be tempted to do takeout.

Monday:
Crockpot Chicken stew (boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into one inch pieces, carrots cut into one inch pieces, potatoes, cut into one inch pieces, green beans snapped into one inch pieces, a can of corn, one pint of rabbit stock, and I will mix in some leftover rabbit gravy at the end to thicken it)
Salad

Tuesday:
Crockpot Beef pot roast
Microwave Baked potatoes
Nectarines
Coleslaw

Wednesday:
Baked potato soup
Coleslaw
Italian prunes

Thursday:
Leftovers

Friday:
Crockpot chicken (whole)
Microwave baked potatoes
Green beans

Saturday:
Chicken and noodles
Salad
Nectarines

Sunday:
Tacos
Pears

I am not including fruit on the dinner menu this week, because we are trying to stick to one high carb at dinner starting Tuesday. But the Italian prunes are almost ripe, so we may switch out a high carb for it later in the week.

I managed to gain back all the weight I lost before plus ten pounds, and DD is carrying too much extra weight as well. DS could stand to lose about ten pounds around the belly. He has been running on the treadmill which has helped him lose 5 pounds and the moobs he was starting to get that were embarrassing him, but he'd like to lose a bit more. I'll watch his diet carefully because at 13 he still needs to eat a lot of calories. We'll just be careful about where those calories are coming from.

We are also going to make more of an effort to get to the gym and not just for swimming.

Sunday:
Beef pot roast
Corn on the cob
Coleslaw

Monday:
Pizza (homemade sauce, bell pepper strips, onions, pepperoni, Canadian bacon)
Cole slaw

Tuesday:
Oven Baked Chicken
Baked potatoes
Green beans

Wednesday:
Baked potato soup
Leftover chicken
Green beans

Thursday:
Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches (on homemade bread)
Salad (lettuce, cheese, sunflower seeds, dressing)

Friday:
Meatloaf
Fried potatoes
Broccoli/cauliflower

Saturday:
Pork chops
Applesauce (homemade)
Leftover broccoli/cauliflower

I have done great on Swagbucks this month already without hardly trying. Today there is a swag code until 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. It is prosperity and worth 7 points.

Meal planning this week is again trying to get in some of end of summer vegetables and fruits.

Monday:
Beef chuck pot roast
Baked potatoes
Romano broad beans
Watermelon

Tuesday:
Spaghetti
Homemade spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes, fresh onions, minced garlic from the jar, fresh basil, fresh oregano, fresh thyme, a pinch of dried rosemary, freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper and some tomato paste)
Meatballs (ground beef, Italian bead crumbs, parmesan, romano, egg)
Cole slaw

Wednesday:
Meatball sandwiches
Leftover cole slaw
Fried potatoes made with leftover baked potatoes
Nectarines

Thursday:
Fried rabbit
Corn on the cob
Broccoli/cauliflower
Cantaloupe

Friday:
Homemade pizza made with leftover spaghetti sauce (onion, bell pepper strips, ham, pepperoni)
Kohlrabi

Saturday:
Bacon cheeseburgers with homemade buns
Fried potatoes
Salad
Watermelon

I am trying to get back to posting my meal plans on Sunday. I don't even think I bothered to post one last week. I did really well with cooking though. No meals out.

Tomorrow I am going to make Korean pork dumplings for the first time. I am leaving out the dried tofu though. And using savoy cabbage instead of Napa cabbage, because I am not buying a whole head of Napa when the recipe only calls for six leaves of it. At least I can easily use up the rest of a head of savoy in cole slaw. Not quite the same as green or purple cabbage but still tasty. I will also be making a new rabbit recipe that I adapted from a chicken recipe and altered to make it out of ingredients instead of a mix.

Sunday:
Pork dumplings
Watermelon

Monday:
Pancakes with homemade jam
Bacon and eggs
Stir-fried green beans

Tuesday:
Oven-fried Buttermilk Cornmeal Rabbit
Steamed zucchini and yellow summer squash
Corn on the cob
Nectarines

Wednesday:
Grilled chicken
Fried potatoes
Blueberries
Cole slaw

Thursday:
Bacon cheeseburgers on homemade buns
Cole slaw
Watermelon

Friday:
Homemade pizza with pepperoni, yellow onions, ham and bell pepper strips
Blueberries
Salad

Saturday:
Meatloaf
Homemade rolls
Cole slaw
Cantaloupe

Well, I didn't forget to plan it. I just forgot to post it. Washington state corn is coming into the stores and I'm taking advantage of it!

Monday:
Slow-cooked rabbit with leeks, onions, carrots, and celery
Cantaloupe

Tuesday:
Rabbit Noodle Soup
Fresh crusty bread
Cantaloupe

Wednesday:
Slow-cooked beef chuck roast
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Corn on the cob
Cole slaw

Thursday:
Whole roasted chicken (olive oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper)
Baked potatoes
Corn on the cob
Cole slaw

Friday:
Bacon cheeseburgers
Fried potatoes
Salad with cheese, sunflower seeds, and 1000 Island yogurt dressing
Blueberries

Saturday:
Homemade Pizza (onion, bell pepper strips, pepperoni, ham)
Corn on the cob
Birthday cake (homemade)
Salad (as above)
Watermelon

Sunday:
TexMex chicken and rice (made with leftover chicken from Thursday)
Corn on the cob
Green beans
Watermelon

I am trying to get my grocery budget back under control again. Menus are based on foods currently in the fridge or freezer. I'd prefer not to go to the store for the rest of the week, except for milk.

Monday:
Teriyaki Pulled Pork in the crockpot
Homemade buns
Cherries
Cole slaw

Tuesday:
Fried chicken
Fried potatoes
Broccoli/cauliflower
Blueberries

Wednesday:
Waffles
Strawberries with whipping cream
Ham

Thursday:
Slow cooked rabbit in the crockpot with potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery
Cherries
Cole slaw

Friday:
Bacon cheeseburgers
Homemade French Fries
Leftover broccoli/cauliflower
Blueberries

Saturday:
Homemade pizza with pepperoni, ham, yellow onion and bell pepper strips
Cole slaw

Sunday:
Slow cooked beef chuck roast
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Green beans
Blueberry cornbread muffins

Seems I'm not the only forgetful one this week! So here is my meal planning for dinners this week.

Monday--
Bacon cheeseburgers
Homemade French fries
Coleslaw
Blackberries

Tuesday--
Roasted whole chicken
Baked potatoes
Blueberries
Broccoli

Wednesday--
Chicken quesadillas
Coleslaw
Blackberries

Thursday--
Homemade pizza (Canadian bacon, pepperoni, yellow onions, bell pepper strips)
Coleslaw
Watermelon

Friday--
Fried rabbit
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Salad
Cherries

Saturday--
Rabbit nuggets
Fried potatoes
Blackberries
Salad

Sunday--
Beef chuck pot roast
Corn on the cob
Broccoli
Watermelon

Is it really only Thursday? Feels like I hit the ground running and never stopped. Just outdoor farm chores and indoor house cleaning and organizing and building rabbit tractors and moving rabbits outside in the morning and back inside in the evening and chicken care, etc.

We ate our first homegrown, home slaughtered, home butchered rabbit today. Took me almost a month before I was ready to take one out of the freezer and cook it, but now I know we can do this self-sufficiency thing.

I have been very busy picking berries. Because of the heat wave we have blackberries, raspberries and blueberries all ripe at once. This never happens. It is always staggered through the summer. So we are hustling to get as much picked as we can to freeze for the upcoming year.

We have spent very little this week. Mostly for things like milk for us and fresh chard and carrots for the rabbits. We are sticking to the meal plan well and DS has stopped asking to go to the store and buy chicken pot pies, his weakness. I am determined to keep our spending down and I am feeling better with several home cooked meals under my belt again. When you get out of the habit, you really get out of the habit.

One of these days I will get back to posting these on Sundays again! First off, though, I added $6.32 to the coin jar, with the eventual destination of the Emergency Fund.

Okay, so I have been a really lazy cook lately. I mean sandwiches and crockpot food lazy. And I'm really okay with that. The heat saps almost all of our energy right now, and what little we have is used up on taking care of the livestock and their assorted messiness. But anyway, back to the food front.

Monday:
--Spaghetti and Meatballs (no fruit, no veggies, it is what it is)

Tuesday:
--Leftover cold duck made into a salad
--Leftover cold spaghetti
--Casaba Melon

Wednesday:
--Chicken fried rabbit
--Fried potatoes
--Cole slaw
--Watermelon

Thursday:
--Tacos made in the microwave
--Fresh blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries (because of the heat they are all ripe at the same time in our yard for the first time ever)

Friday:
--Homemade pizza (Canadian bacon, pepperoni, yellow onion, red bell peppers)
--Cole slaw
--Leftover fruit salad

Saturday:
--Leftover rabbit quesadillas
--Green beans
--Corn
--Leftover fruit salad

Sunday:
--Crockpot beef chuck roast
--Microwave baked potatoes
--Broccoli/cauliflower
--Fresh blueberry cornbread muffins

I forgot to do any meal planning this week at all. So I'm just going to finish up for Saturday and Sunday, and then start over for the new week.

Saturday:
--Fried rabbit
--Baked potatoes
--Broccoli/cauliflower

Sunday:
--Duck slow-cooked in the crockpot
--Leftover baked potaotes
--Leftover Broccoli/cauliflower